The Netherlands Court of Audit Thesis Prize
The Netherlands Court of Audit established a Thesis Prize in 2022. As a Supreme Audit Institution, we are firm believers in government accountability for the results of major investments requiring substantial sums of public money. Strong, independent audit is a means for the government to learn and reflect on what went well and what did not.
The Court of Audit wants to stimulate the use of public audit. Together with us, you can help improve the performance and functioning of public administration and strengthen public trust in a government that puts learning at the heart of its operations.
Does your master’s or post-master’s thesis cover a subject of relevance to public administration and did it receive a grade of at least 8? Then please submit it for our Thesis Prize by mailing it to scriptieprijs@rekenkamer.nl.
What you can win?
The Thesis Prize awards a first prize of €2,000. The second prize is worth €1,000 and the third €500. The winners will be invited to present their theses to academics, directors and auditors at the Court of Audit and so boost the impact of their work and improve the performance and functioning of public administration.
Eligible theses
To be eligible, theses must:
- have been approved by a Dutch university after 1 September 2023;
- have received a grade of at least 8;
- be relevant to the Court of Audit’s work. For example, theses could relate to the results or impact of government policy, accountability for public money, the role within government of institutions such as the Court of Audit, a learning government or other related subjects.
How to take part
Submit your thesis by mailing it to scriptieprijs@rekenkamer.nl before 23.59 hours on 13 October 2024. Include the following documents with your submission:
- a summary of your thesis in Dutch or English in less than 1,000 words (in PDF),
- your entire thesis in Dutch or English (in PDF),
- proof of final grade of 8 or higher (e.g. using a grade list).
- a curriculum vitae (in PDF).
Announcement of the winners
The jury will announce the winners and contact them at the end of October. The award ceremony will take place in the Court of Audit’s historic Grootboekzaal at Lange Voorhout 8, The Hague. The date of the ceremony will be announced later.
Previous winners:
2024: Kim van Berkel (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Kim van Berkel won the Court of Audit’s 2024 thesis prize for her thesis on financially incentivising inactive people. She made an important contribution to the discussion on how benefit recipients can be helped back to the labour market.
2023: Timen Sijens (University of Groningen)
Timen Sijens won the Court of Audit’s inaugural Thesis Prize in 2023 for his thesis on the quality of higher education. His thesis laid bare the friction between educational returns on the one hand and educational quality on the other.
